What do you think?
Rate this book
Black History In Its Own Words
A look at Black History framed by those who made it.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN ITS OWN WORDS presents quotes of dozens of black luminaries with portraits & illustrations by Ronald Wimberly. Featuring the memorable words and depictions of Angela Davis, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Kanye West, Zadie Smith, Ice Cube, Dave Chappelle, James Baldwin, Spike Lee and more.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN ITS OWN WORDS presents quotes of dozens of black luminaries with portraits & illustrations by Ronald Wimberly. Featuring the memorable words and depictions of Angela Davis, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Kanye West, Zadie Smith, Ice Cube, Dave Chappelle, James Baldwin, Spike Lee and more.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2017
6 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
July 18, 2017
I definitely want more.
February 19, 2019
"...Love is really more of an interactive process, it's a verb, not a noun."
▫️bell hooks
This collection gathers portraits of black luminaries, drawn by Wimberly in 2015-2017, and was published by Image Comics in 2017.
Fantastic art, all done in the pop style + colors, and quotes from a variety of people from 19th-21st century. Wimberly includes a short bio of each person, and also cites where he got the quote - some from published works, some from radio and television interviews, and a few from conversations.
▫️bell hooks
This collection gathers portraits of black luminaries, drawn by Wimberly in 2015-2017, and was published by Image Comics in 2017.
Fantastic art, all done in the pop style + colors, and quotes from a variety of people from 19th-21st century. Wimberly includes a short bio of each person, and also cites where he got the quote - some from published works, some from radio and television interviews, and a few from conversations.
February 28, 2022
Excellent artwork, with some good quotes and some quotes that maybe didn't age quite so well.
January 22, 2021
Definitely more of an art book than a graphic novel, this book gives you homework! It's impossible not to want to know more about all these artists, activists, pioneers, and heroes after the brief bio and their powerful quotes here shared. Strong and dynamic artwork.
February 5, 2017
Meh... algunas ilustraciones y frases están lindas (de ahí la segunda estrella), pero DEFINITIVAMENTE no ilustra la historia "negra" en lo absoluto. Serena Williams diciendo que está sonriendo, es feliz y es sexy? Kanye diciendo que a veces el mejor consejo es no dar consejos? DÓNDE ESTÁ MLK?? MANDELA? OBAMA? MICHAEL JACKSON?
Además, las imágenes se acompañan por pocas líneas de "biografía" que no dicen nada; la primera mujer negra que entró al ejército de los Estados Unidos, durante la guerra civil, ADEMÁS fue la primera que entró vestida de hombre (la Mulan de USA) porque no quería depender de un hombre o de amigos hombres? Y no me contás nada más??? Dude, las priorities por el piso.
Frases que sí me gustaron:
"Peace to you if you're willing to fight for it" -Fred Hampton
"Obama reminds me of the black kid at a white school that don't no one want to play with" -Ice Cube
"...Race is performative!" -Saul Williams
"To be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time" -James Baldwin
"Every story I create creates me. I write to create myself" -Octavia Butler
"No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them" -Assata Shkkur
"...The real power is community... in actually connecting with people" -Prince
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your time on Earth" -Muhammad Ali
"The rich rob the poor, and the poor rob each other" -Sojourner Truth
"Love is really more of an interactive process... it's a verb, not a noun" -bell hooks
Además, las imágenes se acompañan por pocas líneas de "biografía" que no dicen nada; la primera mujer negra que entró al ejército de los Estados Unidos, durante la guerra civil, ADEMÁS fue la primera que entró vestida de hombre (la Mulan de USA) porque no quería depender de un hombre o de amigos hombres? Y no me contás nada más??? Dude, las priorities por el piso.
Frases que sí me gustaron:
"Peace to you if you're willing to fight for it" -Fred Hampton
"Obama reminds me of the black kid at a white school that don't no one want to play with" -Ice Cube
"...Race is performative!" -Saul Williams
"To be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time" -James Baldwin
"Every story I create creates me. I write to create myself" -Octavia Butler
"No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them" -Assata Shkkur
"...The real power is community... in actually connecting with people" -Prince
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your time on Earth" -Muhammad Ali
"The rich rob the poor, and the poor rob each other" -Sojourner Truth
"Love is really more of an interactive process... it's a verb, not a noun" -bell hooks
June 27, 2019
I'm not really a fan of quotes, especially in the modern era of social media. I always start to wonder about the context in which they first appeared, whether they are being properly presented and attributed, and the motives of the person presenting the text. There just isn't enough time to properly investigate each one.
That being said this book had immediate appeal with its strong unifying theme and a citations page.
A thin book of the gift variety, it's a quick read, with each spread having a very short biography on the left and an illustrated quote on the right. It's very easy though to get sucked into randomly flipping back through the book and dwelling on different pages.
The images are well-done and quite striking, hand drawn (I'm guessing) from photo references that can usually be found pretty easily near the top of a simple Google Images search for each of the subjects.
That being said this book had immediate appeal with its strong unifying theme and a citations page.
A thin book of the gift variety, it's a quick read, with each spread having a very short biography on the left and an illustrated quote on the right. It's very easy though to get sucked into randomly flipping back through the book and dwelling on different pages.
The images are well-done and quite striking, hand drawn (I'm guessing) from photo references that can usually be found pretty easily near the top of a simple Google Images search for each of the subjects.
March 2, 2017
Ronald Wimberly's artwork is stunning and he does a great job capturing a person's essence. He selected outstanding quotes from some familiar and not-so-familiar people that will inspire you to dig deeper into Black History. This book would be a great starting place for someone who is tired of Old Dead White Guy History.
February 6, 2021
Beautiful art. A great book to grab interest and encourage further learning about these significant people. This would be a great addition to a high school classroom library!
July 16, 2020
Slim collection of illustrated quotes from Black history makers.
February 11, 2017
So many of the struggles the people in its pages fought for are still being fought in 2017.
February 22, 2017
A deceptively simple book - each page has a brief introduction to a significant figure from Black history accompanied by a quote and an illustration of that person. Inspiring and striking, if occasionally esoteric - and I don't mean that in a bad way. I didn't quite get the relevance of all the quotes on first reading, but they have a combined effect like poetry, washing over you, creating a feeling rather than a meaning.
ARC provided by Edelweiss+
ARC provided by Edelweiss+
June 22, 2020
An interesting collection of quote art that is stylishly illustrated with a short and sweet introduction of the luminaries that are given a spotlight.
Many of these obviously feel out of context and have less power in the words spoken that they should've. If anything, this does capture the idea that many believe that change is necessary and that progress is made but far from being over to this day.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Many of these obviously feel out of context and have less power in the words spoken that they should've. If anything, this does capture the idea that many believe that change is necessary and that progress is made but far from being over to this day.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
December 29, 2018
Loved it. The illustrations were fabulous.
February 22, 2017
This blew my mind, every page.
February 18, 2017
Review forthcoming. Short take: I was blown away by the power in these pages.
April 21, 2019
I went into this book so excited. I love the cover and the premise. The artwork inside the book was striking and beautiful.
My problem with this collection was that the quotes featured in this book felt disconnected and many didn't match a common theme or narrative. Additionally, I wish the biographies were slightly longer and more detailed.
My problem with this collection was that the quotes featured in this book felt disconnected and many didn't match a common theme or narrative. Additionally, I wish the biographies were slightly longer and more detailed.
March 14, 2023
Went in with low expectations because I knew it was basically a series of illustrated quotes, but I wanted a short read and it was available. Exceeded expectations, love the art style and the different types of people included and effectively put into conversation with each other. Really pleased with the number of queer and trans people featured.
August 22, 2017
LOVED this book! Its perfect for so many age groups. You could read it to children at story time. You could have it in the teen section where they can see a very diverse array of Black folks from the past and present. And you can def appreciate it as a comics lover. Right on Ron! Right on Image!
May 23, 2017
The artwork is tremendous. The quotes are enlightening.
This would be a great book to start when gathering information on black history.
This would be a great book to start when gathering information on black history.
June 30, 2017
Powerful words from amazing people. I like the art and that theres quotes from not just the usual "Black history" people
February 22, 2020
I like that it included Poly Styrene and Cheryl Dunye.
February 11, 2019
This collection if illustrations, quotations, and brief bios of important black figures in history and the current culture and media works well as a snapshot of the past and present. Recommended for anyone who feels even a little uncertain about where to start with black history.
November 16, 2024
I will always appreciate any book that focuses on Black history from a lens of gratitude instead of suffering. This book had some quotes that didn't age too well, but the majority of them were pretty solid, and I enjoyed learning about some new change makers in history.
July 17, 2020
Mini-biographies and quotes. Gorgeous, gorgeous art.
May 24, 2021
Really just quotes with an art piece matched for every one... I was expecting a more graphic novel format??
December 15, 2023
Short, beautiful and resonant.
August 8, 2020
It’s hard to rate this anything other an 5 stars. For starters it’s a beautifully illustrated book. Additionally it features impactful quotes from many well know outspoken black activists. I hope he does another one.
February 9, 2017
I would classify this more as an art book rather than a comic book but the art was fabulous nonetheless!
Great diversity of names including a few I was unfamiliar with who I definitely need to educate myself on!
Great diversity of names including a few I was unfamiliar with who I definitely need to educate myself on!
February 10, 2017
An art book illustrating illustrious and less-known figures in black history, along with a quote of theirs. Each picture is prefaced with a brief biography of the person. Some lovely art and a brilliant introduction to some of these figures.
[I received an advanced reader copy of this from the publisher.]
[I received an advanced reader copy of this from the publisher.]
February 20, 2020
[02192020] i like the art and this would make a good coffee table book, but it (amazingly) has some queerphobic vibes, such as: including queerphobic people and presenting them with more depth than the lgbt people, whose sexuality is specifically omitted in favor of saying they “deconstruct” sex or gender; only not attributing laverne cox’s quote; avoiding the words “gay, lesbian, trans,” etc at all costs; and providing incorrect information, such as claiming that marsha p. johnson founded the street transgender action revolutionaries (it’s transvestite). probably this is less due to homophobia than just the fact that this is an art book which also has a lot of typos/grammar errors and oddly-phrased biographies, but it’s still somewhat discomfiting. definitely cool art, though!
read as part of my personal goal to read at least 14 books by Black authors during february 2020.
read as part of my personal goal to read at least 14 books by Black authors during february 2020.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews